Team

Ben Horn

Jim Allsworth

Jo Atkinson

Chris Beesley

Clive Beesley

Chris Charalambides

Sacha Christopher

Akshay Misra

Ben is a veteran shipping and insurance lawyer with 30 years’ experience of acting for various stakeholders in the shipping, energy and insurance industry. He was a partner in a major shipping law firm which he left more than 10 years ago to set up his own practice.

He specializes in all aspects of dry shipping, Insurance and international trade and has extensive experience in dealing with disputes under all the usual contract forms in use in the shipping, insurance and the offshore industry. His practice encompasses both litigation and arbitration and he regularly acts in relation to disputes under time and voyage charters, the defense of cargo claims, ship arrest, disputes arising out of the sale of ships, shipbuilding contracts and oil and product trading contracts. He acts in relation to the full range of potential disputes under policies of marine insurance including coverage, total loss investigations, claims arising out of equipment failure, engine breakdowns and general average.

Ben has been involved in literally hundreds of maritime arbitrations conducted under the LMAA rules as well as ICC and LCIA arbitrations, involving transportation, engineering and other contractual disputes. He was editor of the Arbitration Law Handbook and is widely regarded as one of the leading maritime arbitration specialists, He is often appointed as arbitrator and is generally willing to consider appointments as arbitrator.

He is a seasoned litigator and has wide experience of commercial court actions including interlocutory matters such as antisuit injunctions, freezing injunctions and Arbitration Act challenges to arbitration awards, Some of the more important reported shipping cases in which he has handled over the years include Houda (time charterers orders), Rialto (piercing corporate veil), Jay Bola (one year Hague Rules time limit), Atlantic Emperor (meaning of arbitration exception in Brussels Convention) and Baltic Navigator ( jurisdiction of arbitrators and identification of contract of carriage).

He is a consultant to the C Solutions group of companies where he is Head of Dry Shipping and Insurance and is often involved in maritime casualty work. He is a Chartered arbitrator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a member of the panel of Arbitrators maintained by the China Maritime Arbitration Commission and Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators; a Member of Baltic Exchange and a Supporting Member of London Maritime Arbitrators Association and a Member of Indian Maritime Association.

Jim was with Ince and Co for almost 20 years, being an integral part of their wet team. He has extensive experience in dealing with all aspects of salvage, collision and wreck removal. He was managing director of C Solutions Limited and has been a consultant to Horn [+]Co since 2009, providing expertise in all areas of wet shipping.

Over 26 years of predominantly Admiralty work with City firms, including 19 years as a partner, Joe has dealt with casualty cases of every type in many jurisdictions, including all ancillary aspects such as limitation, choice of law and general average.

He is a seasoned collector of evidence and has substantial experience of litigation/arbitration/mediation and other forms of dispute resolution.

Chris has been a consultant with Horn [+] Co since 2008. He is an admiralty specialist having extensive experience of dealing with all sorts of marine casualty claims for ship owners and their insurers. Major casualties which he has handled include most of the major international cruise ship casualties of the last 20 years, a number of recent piracy incidents and numerous high value collision and salvage cases.

After more than three decades with Ince & Co in Hong Kong and the UK latterly as joint head of the shipping casualty department, Chris established the C Solutions Group in 2000 and is group CEO based in Singapore having relocated to Asia in 2010.

Clive is a Consultant to Horn + Co based in Hong Kong where he previously resided for 20 years as head of the shipping casualty division of two leading law firms dealing with all manner of cases. The main emphasis of his experience is in the casualty sector and Clive has conducted hundreds of marine investigations and has handled matters to conclusion via arbitration, litigation and predominantly commercially negotiated outcomes.

He is well travelled in the Far East and South East Asia and has an array of contacts in the industry. Clive bolsters the resources of Horn + Co both geographically and in terms of his depth of knowledge in respect of collision, salvage, wreck removal, pollution, fire, explosion, and total loss cases.

Chris was admitted as a solicitor in 1987. His recent work has involved him in a wide range of contentious and non contentious shipping and non shipping work. On the shipping side, he has been involved in handling major casualty investigations, the negotiations for the sale of a super yacht, cargo claims and defences, charterparty and shipbuilding disputes as well as disputes arising under FFA contracts and in consequence of foreign bankruptcy procedures. He has broad experience in defending cargo claims on behalf of ship interests.

On the non contentious side his practice extends to advising clients of the firm in connection with commercial agreements, joint ventures and corporate structure including advising in connection with the complex issues arising out of the liquidation of a major UK based ship owner and charterer, including supervision of NY litigation that has ensued.

Sacha is a solicitor qualified in both South Africa and Australia. He was a senior solicitor at a leading law firm in London for a number of years, where he advised and litigated on a range of dry shipping issues for both owners and charterers. He has also worked as a senior claims executive at an International Group P&I Club and as in-house counsel at one of the world’s largest shipping lines, as well as Senior Legal Counsel at one of the world’s premier cruise lines.

Sacha advises in relation to dry shipping litigation, acting for owners, charterers, transport intermediaries, their insurers and P&I Clubs, with a particular emphasis on disputes relating to charterparties, the supply and carriage of goods, agency, contracts of affreightment and bills of lading. He also acts for cruise lines and other transport and tour operators in relation to the defence of personal injury claims, the drafting of terms and conditions as well as issues relating to general commercial and insurance law.

Akshay grew up in a family of seafarers. He has a LLB degree and a LLM from Newcastle University. Prior to joining the firm, Akshay worked for an International Group Club where he gained experience in dealing with a wide range of P and I and FD and D matters. He is now active handling cases in all the main practice areas of the firm but with specific emphasis on London arbitration and High Court litigation. Akshay has also been involved in several cross jurisdictional disputes, including applying for and seeking to set aside anti-suit injunctions.

Akshay has sat on the executive committee of the Indian Maritime Association since 2012 and is currently its secretary. Akshay was part of an expedition that successfully reached the North Pole in 2008.

He is also fluent in Hindi, speaks Urdu and is currently learning Japanese.